It Died With Her
by mrslukecastellan
Summary: A one shot from Cato's point of view as Clove is dying. His last thoughts as she is slipping away. I know there are tons of these, but please read it! Sent in for Jaide00's Hunger Games one shot contest.


_**I wrote this one shot for a contest on Jaide00's forum, Hunger Games Contests. I wanted to put it up here because I was proud of it, and because I liked it. So, here for your viewing pleasure, is my one-shot. I hope you all like it, and please, leave me a review and let me know what you think.**_

"We have to go to the Feast, Cato! Come on. Please? Pretty please with sprinkles and a cherry on top?"

I remember that Clove had said that as we heard the announcement for the feast in Claudius Templesmith's booming voice that made the hair on my neck stand up on end. I remember not wanting to go. I didn't want to make any mistakes. Our allies were dead-every single one of them. Not that Clove and I needed them to begin with...and I had killed a few of them myself, but my point is, I didn't want to go to that feast. I knew there was something wrong about it. No matter what Claudius said, even that the feast would have something for each remaining tribute, or district in my case, that they needed, Clove and I didn't need anything but each other. We were fine without anything else besides each other.

"No, Clove. I'm not letting you go. You could get hurt. You could die. And then what would we do?"

My girlfriend pouted, her lips forming into a little frown, extenuating her pale face and perfect features. She batted her eyelashes at me.

"Please, Cato. Plllllleeeeeeaaassssseeeee. We can do anything you want once we go to the feast and kill fire girl. Hmmm?" Her hands went to my shirt, and I gently pushed her hands off, settling instead for a kiss on her perfect lips. I could tell she was smiling under them. "Your no fun." She whined. "But I guess we'll have time for that after we kill 12 and come back here."

I chuckled, just a tiny bit. Clove had never been good at taking no for an answer. It was the quality I loved most about her, come to think of it. Anyway, back to the story. Clove didn't understand that we weren't going to that feast. She wouldn't take no as my answer.

"What's so funny?" Clove asked, suddenly defensive. She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes flashing with annoyance.

"We aren't going to that feast. There are other ways to kill her, alright?" I muttered, standing up and settling myself next to the fire we had made, where a fish was roasting over the fire.

Clove came and sat down next to me, running her fingers through my hair, her lips hovering inches away from my ear.

"Come on, Cato. Just let me go to the feast if you don't want to go. You can watch me from the woods around the Cornucopia. And then I'll kill Katniss, and I'll come back to you, all safe and sound, and we can...hang out a little more." She whispered suggestively. I remember her voice sounding like an angel. I wanted that angel. Wanted her so badly I couldn't even successfully hide it anymore.

"I want to kill her, Clove." I replied, turning my head to face hers. She tilted her head, jutting her chin, like I knew she did when she was planning, or scheming, or thinking really hard. I had seen her do that a lot when we were taking tests in school, or our trainers challenged us to decrease our times through the obstacle course in the training centre by a full 40 seconds.

"I can kill her just as well as you can." were the words she decided on.

I put my arms around her shoulders and pulled her into my arms, my lips whispering into her ear this time.

"I'm not doubting any of your abilities, sweetheart."

I could feel her tense up in my arms. She knew that when I called her sweetheart or darling or any of those crappy and useless nicknames couples use for each other in the weaker districts that I was going to try my hardest to get my way. But unfortunately for me, she was ready to pounce back with her own defenses.

Her lips went to mine another time, pushing hard. When she came up, she started her argument...which wasn't really an argument at all really but really her lusty way of getting my to give in because she knew I wanted her.

"I...will...give...the...audience...the...best...show...they...have...ever...seen...if...you...let...me...do...it." She whispered, after each word pressing a hard kiss into my lips and making my head spin. I didn't know exactly what she was talking about by 'it'. Killing Katniss Everdeen? Us having sex? I didn't know. I didn't care. I wanted both of those things so badly now I couldn't control it.

"Fine, Clove. You can go and kill her. But I'm coming with you. And we're staying together, do you hear me?"

Her eyes brightened up, and she scurried into my lap, her arms wrapping around my neck as she nodded, agreeing to what I was saying and showing me she understood. "You won't regret this, Cato. I promise, everything will work out."

...

She hadn't kept her promise. She promised me everything would work out. She promised we'd be together. She promised me herself...and we would never have that magical bliss.

I had watched her the entire time, like a hawk. Every movement of her body, or her weapon, of anything, was in my mind. I could see her over Katniss with her little knife with he curved blade. She had been so happy to find that knife, thrilled in the fact that she could fuel her bloodthirsty tendencies even more viciously and give the audience a show they would never forget.

She was so close...she had made that first cut. She was taunting up a storm, and I could slowly see Katniss breaking down underneath her. She'd be dead in a few minutes. Clove had the backpack right there next to her. Everything was fine. She would be coming back to me.

I allowed myself to close my eyes and sit back, legs extended as I laid in the branches of a tree in the woods surrounding the Cornucopia, where I could see everything without being seen myself.

**"CATO! CATO!"**

I can hear Clove's urgent shouts, but I can't believe something bad would happen to her. **Could** happen to her.

"CLOVE!" I scream as loud as I can, which is pretty loud. I know everyone below me can hear me, even when I am up here in my tree. I scramble as fast as I can down the branches, falling the last 10 feet or so and hearing my ankle crunch underneath me. I ignore the pain and keep running without limping to Clove, but by now it's too late. The boy from 11 is just barely to the edge of the woods, and Katniss is gone as well. All I see now is Clove. There's no blood, and for a moment, I think she's fine, and that the guy from 11 just made her scared and then ran away from being weak. But then I see the dent in her forehead and know I'm too late, and that there was damage. She'll be gone soon.

"Clove?" I whisper, trying to keep my voice level and calm. I can't turn weak now.

"Cato...I...I...love you, Cato." She whispers back. I can tell it's getting harder for her to breathe. She's dying, what can I expect?

I pull her to my chest and hold her, and before I can stop it, I am sobbing my eyes out. My girlfriend is dying in a game she was destined to win.

"I love you too, Clove. I love you too." I look at her face, and see her eyes shining with tears as they trickle down her cheeks. I help her sit up, grasping one of her hands so tightly with one of my own that I swear I'm hurting her. But she doesn't say anything. She doesn't make a sound as she cries, and I cup her chin with my other hand, kissing her and allowing our tears to mix together. This is the only mixing our bodies will do, and I can't help but cry even more when I realize I have to win this thing for her, and for myself, and for my district, and eventually have to go on and marry someone that isn't her. Have children with someone who isn't her. I don't want to be with anyone besides her.

I kiss her, and I kiss her, and I kiss her until I can feel her go still in my arms. Until I hear the last of her heartbeats. Until I can feel her hand go cold in mine.

Until I hear the cannon, telling me she's gone, and with her death, my heart, and my ability to love went with her.


End file.
